1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gun racks and more specifically it relates to a gun and beverage support system for supporting a weapon and a beverage while the hunter is sitting or standing within a tree stand.
Hunting is an extremely popular sport throughout the world. Often times a hunter will wait within a group of trees for wild game to pass by. Other times tree stands are utilized where the hunter waits for the game high up in the tree. The hunter will usually wait hours before a desirable game animal passes by. Holding the rifle or bow can be extremely tiring over this period of time thereby weakening the hunter and hampering their ability to properly aim the weapon when needed. Since most conventional tree stands do not have a gun rack, the hunter must physically retain the weapon. Also, many hunters will bring a beverage with them such as coffee wherein there is no place upon conventional tree stands to place such beverage containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gun racks have been in use for years. Typically, a gun rack includes a plurality of racks for storing a plurality of weapons such as bows or rifles. A conventional gun rack is designed to be mounted within a house structure or a vehicle. However, conventional gun racks are unable to be utilized outdoors within a tree stand to support a rifle or bow.
Examples of gun racks include U.S. Pat. No. 3,022,898 to Loeb; U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,103 to Wiggins; U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,333 to Boston; U.S. Pat. No. 602,177 to Wiler which are all illustrative of such prior art.
Loeb (U.S. Pat. No. 3,022,898) discloses a gun holder. Loeb teaches a base member, a pair of hooks attached to the base member, and a strap member adjustably connected to the base member for attaching to a tree. However, Loeb does not teach a gun holder that simultaneously retains a beverage container nor that is adjustable for various diameters of trees.
Wiggins (U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,103) discloses a gun support. Wiggins teaches a base, a strap attached to the base for surrounding a tree, an arm pivotally attached to the base, and a first belt and a second belt attached to the distal end of the arm for retaining a rifle.
Boston (U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,333) discloses a rack for carrying a bow or long gun on an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Wiler (U.S. Pat. No. 602,177) discloses a gun rack that is attachable to a tent pole or other similar structure.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for supporting a weapon and a beverage while the hunter is sitting or standing within a tree stand. Conventional gun racks do not have a beverage holder for retaining a beverage during nonuse. Also, conventional gun racks do not attach to various diameter of trees.
In these respects, the gun and beverage support system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of supporting a weapon and a beverage while the hunter is sitting or standing within a tree stand.